Refuse container handle-liner dispenser unit

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a refuse container handle-liner dispenser unit that functions to allow the storage of replacement liners at the refuse receptacle on its upper portion, to allow for the easy replacement of liners. The combination handle-dispenser unit may be integral with the refuse receptacle or attachable to the receptacle as an add-on unit. The add-on version of the invention contains clipping mechanisms that enable the secure attachment of the unit to the refuse container, allowing the use of the handle portion to securely lift the container. The handle-dispenser contains a retainer portion to retain a set of replacement liners. The retainer portion may optionally also have a cap-like cover to prevent soiling of the replacement liners, the cap unit being either separate or attached thereto.

[0001] The present invention relates to refuse containers, specifically to a refuse container handle-liner dispenser unit that may be either integral with a refuse container or an add-on unit.

[0002] It is common practice to provide receptacles for trash, recyclables and the like, with disposable liners so that when the receptacle is full, the liner can be removed and a new liner installed making the waste receptacle clean and ready for reuse. Sets of replacement liner bags are usually obtained either in perforated rolls where the liners are separated by tearing along the perforations or in boxes where they are inter-folded so that when one is removed, another is pulled up and ready to remove. Though replacement liners are readily available for purchase and use, they are not always readily available at the site of the refuse receptacle when a full liner bag is removed and the receptacle must be re-lined. The present invention addresses this issue by providing a combination replacement liner dispenser and handle unit for a refuse receptacle. The combination handle-dispenser may be integral with the refuse receptacle or attachable to the receptacle as an add-on unit.

[0003] In the accompanying drawings:

[0004]FIG. 1a is a left rear perspective view of a refuse container to which a handle-dispenser unit is integrally attached, showing the tubular form of the retainer portion;

[0005]FIG. 1b is an enlarged view of the tubular retainer portion of the handle-dispenser unit;

[0006]FIG. 2 is a left rear perspective view of a refuse container showing an embodiment of the present invention in which the refuse receptacle contains an optional lid hingeably attached to the handle-dispenser unit, and also shows an enlarged view of a retainer portion of the handle-dispenser with cap unit hingeably attached thereto;

[0007]FIG. 3a is a view of the integral handle-dispenser unit of the present invention depicting the handle portion and retainer portion;

[0008]FIG. 3b is a side view of the handle-dispenser unit of FIG. 3a, showing the refuse receptacle with lid hingeably attached to the handle-dispenser unit, the lid in the closed position to secure the inner liner at the rim;

[0009]FIG. 4 is a view of the present invention showing how a typical pack of replacement liners may be placed in the retainer portion, it also depicts a grip form of the handle portion;

[0010]FIG. 5 depicts a separate cap unit fittable to the retainer portion of the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 6a depicts the locking mechanism's lock tab of the retainer portion fitted into the lock slot of the cap unit;

[0012]FIG. 6b is a side view of FIG. 6a;

[0013]FIG. 6c depicts an alternative arrangement of the tab and slot of the locking mechanism;

[0014]FIG. 7a shows a tray-like retainer portion of the present invention with lock tab and liner tabs;

[0015]FIG. 7b shows the retainer portion of FIG. 7a with an inner liner in place and secured by the liner tabs; in this depiction the inner liner also functions to cover the set of replacement liners in the retainer portion;

[0016]FIG. 8a shows an add-on embodiment of the handle-dispenser unit depicting a clip-type clipping mechanism, it also shows a cap unit with slot;

[0017]FIG. 8b is a side-view of FIG. 8a;

[0018]FIG. 9a shows an add-on embodiment of the handle-dispenser unit depicting an alternative form of the clipping mechanism, it also shows a tubular retainer portion with terminal slot;

[0019]FIG. 9b shows the add-on embodiment of FIG. 9a with a tray-like retainer portion instead of the tubular type and with a liner clip on the top of the clipping mechanism;

[0020]FIG. 10 shows an add-on embodiment of the handle-dispenser unit with alternative form of the clipping mechanism;

[0021]FIG. 11a shows an add-on version of the handle-dispenser unit with the cam lock form of the clipping mechanism;

[0022]FIG. 11b shows a side view of the clipping mechanism of FIG. 11a;

[0023]FIG. 12a depicts an alternative of the hinge mechanism by which the cap unit is attached to the retainer portion of the present invention; and,

[0024]FIG. 12b depicts a side view of the hinge mechanism or FIG. 12a.

[0025] Reference Numerals In Drawings 10 handle-dispenser unit 12 refuse container 14 rim 16 opening 18 base 20 attachment portion 22 retainer portion 24 handle portion 26 set of replacement liners 28 clipping mechanism 30 cap unit 32 slot 34 end cap 36 lock slot 38 lock tab 40 inner liner 42 lid

A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Referring to the figures, in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout, a detailed description of various alternative embodiments of the present invention is given. However, the present invention can assume additional embodiments, as will become apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the appended claims.

[0027] Referring now specifically to FIGS. 1a and 1 b, an embodiment of the present invention, a handle-dispenser unit 10, is depicted that is integral to the upper end of a refuse container 12. The container 12 comprises a number of substantially vertical side walls. The side walls comprise an upper rim 14 that defines an open upper end at the top and an opening 16 through which refuse such as trash, recyclables and the like may be deposited into the interior of the container. The side walls also define a lower end and a base 18.

[0028] The handle-dispenser unit 10 comprises an attachment portion 20, to attach the handle-dispenser unit 10 to the upper end of the container, a retainer portion 22, to retain a set of replacement liners 26, and a handle portion 24.

[0029] The handle-dispenser unit 10 may be integral with the upper end of the container 12 (see FIGS. 1 to 7) or form an add-on unit attachable thereto (see FIGS. 8 to 12). When integral with the upper end of the container 12, the attachment portion 20 is connected thereto by means of an extension of the molded plastic of the upper end and/or rim of the container 12, by hardware, or by other like means.

[0030] When the handle-dispenser unit 10 is an add-on unit, the attachment portion 20 may form any number of clipping mechanisms 28 able to hold the handle-dispenser unit 10 firmly in place and to allow the container 12 to be lifted by its handle portion 24. Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, variations on a clip mechanism can be seen. In some the inner and/or outer portions of the clip may be slotted with steps in order to secure the clip on the rim once pressed into place. In other embodiments the attachment portion 20 forms a clip mechanism tightened by a cam lock to secure the handle-dispenser unit 10 to the rim and upper end of the container 12. In this form, the clip mechanism is similar to the quick-release on a bicycle wheel. When an optional lid 42 is present (see below) the cam lock may serve as the point at which the lid 42 is hingeably attached to the handle-dispenser unit 10.

[0031] The retainer portion 22 may be formed to fit conventionally available replacement liner sets or to fit customized replacement liner sets, the packaging of which may form a portion of the handle-dispenser unit 10 itself. The retainer portion 22 may assume many sizes and shapes, but as depicted in the drawings, forms either a tray into which the replacement liner set 26 is placed (see FIGS. 2 to 8, 12), or it may form a tube to accommodate rolled replacement liner sets 26 (see FIGS. 1, 9 to 11).

[0032] As a tray-like structure, the retainer portion 22 comprises a plurality of side walls which define an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end that defines a base. The cavity thus formed is made to a size appropriate to store commonly available replacement rolls or boxes of liners. Thus the cavity forms a convenient storage area to keep replacement liners 26 handily available at the top of the receptacle for easy access when a new liner is needed. The cavity storage area may be formed to a basically rectangular shape or alternatively in a cylindrical shape to better fit replacement liners that come stored on rolls.

[0033] The retainer portion 22 may optionally also comprise a cap unit 30 that fits the opening of the retainer portion 22 in order to hold the set of replacement liners 26 in place and to protect them from being soiled. The cap unit 30 may be a separate piece (see, e.g., FIGS. 5, 8a) or optionally it may be hingeably (see, e.g., FIG. 2) or otherwise attached to the retainer portion 22. The cap unit 30 may contain an elongated slot 32 from which individual liners may be dispensed (see, e.g., FIG. 8a). Alternatively, the retainer portion 22 itself may contain an elongated slot 32 in its lower portion in order to allow the dispensement of individual liners therefrom (see, e.g., FIGS. 3b, 4, 5). As mentioned previously, the replacement liner set 26 may come with customized packaging. This customized packaging may form an actual cap unit fittable to the retainer portion as described above, allowing the user to simply place the replacement liners in the retainer portion and snap the packaging cap unit in place. Any number of embodiments are possible of this customized packaging to allow it to fit easily and efficiently into the handle-dispenser unit 10 of the present invention.

[0034] When the retainer portion 22 has a cap unit 30, the cap unit 30 may be secured in a closed position by means of a locking mechanism comprising a lock slot 36 in the cap unit 30 sized to insertably hold a lock tab 38 located on the upper end of the retainer portion (see, e.g., FIGS. 6 and 7). In this way, the replacement liners may be held secure from theft or other tampering when the refuse receptacle is located in an insecure location.

[0035] As a tube-like structure, the retainer portion 22 comprises a central hollow tube sized to insertably fit a roll of replacement liners 26, and two end caps 34 to cap each end of the tube. The central tubular portion of the retainer portion 22 may contain an elongated slot 32 through which individual liners may be dispensed (see, e.g., FIG. 1b). Alternatively, one of the end caps 34 may contain a slotted portion 32 through which liners may be dispensed (see, e.g., FIGS. 1a, 9 a, 10).

[0036] The handle portion 24 may be a separate part of the handle-dispenser unit 10 or it may be formed from the retainer portion 22. Referring to the close-up of the handle-dispenser unit 10 of FIG. 1a given in FIG. 1b, the retainer portion 22 in this particular embodiment functions also as the handle portion 24. Still other embodiments of the handle portion are depicted in other figures. For example, referring to FIG. 3a, the handle portion 24 is depicted as separate from the retainer portion 22, forming a bar that functions as a handle. FIG. 4 depicts the handle portion 24 as a hollowed out portion that likewise forms a grip-type handle. In FIGS. 6a-c, the retainer portion 22 curves at its base to form a surface easily gripped as a handle. Many embodiments of this basic handle or handle-retainer combination are possible.

[0037] The refuse container 12 may optionally also comprise a lid 42 to cover its opening 16 at the rim 14. The lid 42 may attach to the rim 14 as a separate unit or the lid 42 may be hingeably attached to the handle-dispenser unit 10 (see, e.g., FIGS. 2 and 3b). An inner liner 40 is normally placed in the interior of the refuse receptacle container 12. A problem common to this situation generally, is that the inner liner 40 tends to collapse inwardly when filled with refuse. When the refuse container 12 of the present invention contains the optional lid 42, the lid will serve to hold the liner in place as its upper edges are pressed between the rim 14 and the lid 32 when the lid is in the closed position (see FIG. 3b). Alternatively, the handle-dispenser unit 10 may optionally contain other gripping mechanisms to hold a portion of the liner in place, such as locking tabs and the like (see FIG. 7b). Referring to FIGS. 9b and 10, two additional alternatives to secure the inner liner 40 are depicted showing modifications of the clipping mechanism. In FIG. 9b, a clip-like extension on top of the clipping mechanism allows an edge of the inner liner 40 to be gripped securely in place. In FIG. 10, a modification of the clipping mechanism allows for an edge of the inner liner 40 to be hooked in place.

[0038] The refuse container 12 may optionally also comprise a stabilizing means in order that the weight of the handle-dispenser unit 10 when filled with a set of replacement liners 26, not destabilize the container 12. The retainer portion 22 may weigh a significant amount relative to the container 12 and require counter-balancing for stability. Many alternative embodiments exist for stabilizing means. For example, various of the side walls of the container 12 may be angled, sized or weighted differently than others to effect a counter-balance. A stabilizing flange may be fitted to the base 18 of the container 12. The stabilizing flange may be a separate piece into which the base 18 is securely set, or it may be formed integrally with the base 18 forming a solid unit.

[0039] B. Other Embodiments

[0040] While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of various embodiments thereof. The above-described embodiments are set forth by way of example and are not for the purpose of limiting the present invention. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that obvious modifications, derivations and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example,

[0041] a) the handle-dispenser unit and its retainer portion may assume various alternative shapes and sizes to accommodate the form of the replacement liners and the customization of their packaging;

[0042] b) the refuse container may contain more than one handle-dispenser unit;

[0043] c) the packaging of the set of replacement liners may be customized to serve as the cap unit or other parts of the handle-dispenser unit, such as the clip mechanisms in the add-on form, the liner tabs, or the retainer portion itself, etc.;

[0044] d) the add-on versions of the handle-dispenser units may be fitted to pre-existing refuse containers generally or may be used with new containers;

[0045] e) an add-on version of the handle-dispenser unit may be secured to the rim of the receptacle with a bolt and clamp; and

[0046] f) an add-on version of the handle-dispenser unit may be secured to the receptacle by drilling or punching through holes and inserting a screw type fastener.

[0047] Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the examples given, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 

I claim:
 1. A handle-dispenser unit located at the open upper end of a refuse receptacle comprising a container having at least one side wall, said at least one side wall comprising an upper rim defining the open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end defining a base, the handle-dispenser unit comprising: an attachment portion to attach the handle-dispenser unit to the upper end of the container; a retainer portion to retain a set of replacement liners; and, a handle portion.
 2. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 1, in which the handle-dispenser unit is integral with the upper end of the container.
 3. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 1, in which the handle-dispenser unit is an add-on unit.
 4. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 3, in which the attachment portion comprises a clip mechanism.
 5. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 3, in which the attachment portion comprises a cam lock mechanism.
 6. The retainer portion of claim 1, comprising a plurality of side walls defining an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end defining a base.
 7. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 6, further comprising a cap unit fittable to the opening of the retainer portion.
 8. The cap unit of claim 7, further comprising an elongated slot to allow the individual dispensement of a liner from the set of replacement liners.
 9. The retainer portion of claim 7, further comprising a locking mechanism to secure the set of replacement liners within the retainer portion.
 10. The locking mechanism of claim 9, comprising a lock slot located in the cap unit sized to insertably hold a lock tab located on the upper end of the retainer portion.
 11. The retainer portion of claim 6, further comprising an elongated slot to allow the individual dispensement of a liner from the set of replacement liners.
 12. The retainer portion of claim 11, in which the elongated slot is located in the lower end thereof to allow the downward, individual dispensement of the liner from the set of replacement liners.
 13. The retainer portion of claim 1, comprising: a hollow tube having two ends, the hollow tube being sized to insertably retain a roll of replacement liners; and, at least one cap unit to cap at least one of the two ends.
 14. The retainer portion of claim 13, in which each of the two ends is capped by one of the at least one cap units, and further comprising an elongated slot extending lengthwise in the hollow tube to allow the individual dispensement of a liner from the set of replacement liners.
 15. The retainer portion of claim 13, in which each of the two ends is capped by one of the at least one cap units, and one of the two cap units further comprises a slot to allow individual dispensement of a liner from the set of replacement liners.
 16. The refuse receptacle of claim 1, further comprising a lid.
 17. The lid of claim 16, being hingeably attachable to the handle-dispenser unit and rotatable between an open and a closed position.
 18. The refuse receptacle of claim 1, further comprising a stabilizing means.
 19. The handle portion of claim 1, in which the handle portion is integral with the retainer portion of the handle-dispenser unit.
 20. The retainer portion of claim 19, further comprising a groove in one of the plurality of side walls to form the handle portion.
 21. A refuse receptacle, comprising: a container having at least one side wall, said at least one side wall comprising an upper rim defining an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end defining a base; and, a handle-dispenser unit, comprising: an attachment portion to attach the handle-dispenser unit to the upper end of the container; a retainer portion to retain a set of replacement liners; and, a handle portion.
 22. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 21, in which the handle-dispenser unit is integral with the upper end of the container.
 23. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 21, in which the handle-dispenser unit is an add-on unit.
 24. A refuse receptacle, comprising: a container having at least one side wall, said at least one side wall comprising the upper rim defining an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end defining a base; a handle-dispenser unit, comprising: an attachment portion to attach the handle-dispenser unit to the upper end of the container; a retainer portion to retain a set of replacement liners; and, a handle portion; and, a stabilizing means.
 25. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 24, in which the handle-dispenser unit is integral with the upper end of the container.
 26. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 24, in which the handle-dispenser unit is an add-on unit.
 27. The refuse receptacle of claim 24, in which the stabilizing means comprises a flange fittable to the base of the refuse receptacle.
 28. The refuse receptacle of claim 24, in which the stabilizing means comprises a design modification to one of the at least one side wall opposite the retaining means.
 29. The stabilizing means of claim 28, in which the design modification comprises a thickening of the side wall opposite the retaining means.
 30. The stabilizing means of claim 28, in which the design modification comprises an increase in height of the side wall opposite the retaining means
 31. The refuse receptacle of claim 24, further comprising a lid.
 32. The lid of claim 31, being hingeably attachable to the handle-dispenser unit and rotatable between an open and a closed position. 